This system will offer usage-rate calculation and customer management functions(1), which are core duties for electricity retailers. By doing so, it will provide smooth operational support for Hokkaido Gas’s new business as it enters the retail electricity market in April 2016.
Fujitsu is committed to providing support for the building of electricity-rate calculation systems and other ICT systems for new entrants into Japan’s retail electricity market.
Background
Japan’s retail electricity market for low-voltage customers (households and small businesses, such as convenience stores) is scheduled to be deregulated in April 2016. Hokkaido Gas is aiming to enter the retail electricity market on April 1, 2016, and in preparation, the company is working to secure power supplies and put in place the IT systems required for the operation of its electrical power business. As part of this effort, Fujitsu will be developing and deploying an electricity usage rate calculation system, which will be a core system for retail sales of electricity.
Overview of the System to be Deployed
1. A flexible usage-rate menu that can handle rapid changes in the market environment
Employing BRMS(2) technology in the usage-rate calculation function enables changes to settings, such as additions or revisions to the usage-rate menu, through a simple registration process. This greatly reduces the time required for the system to accommodate new usage-rate plans or the provision of new services, enabling faster responses to changes in competitor trends or market needs.
2. Links to external systems necessary for usage-rate calculations and customer management
To capitalize on the retail electricity market’s liberalization, the system provides functions for communicating with outside groups, such as the Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators (OCCTO), which adjusts domestic electricity supply and demand, and electricity distributors, which manage electrical meters for each customer, regarding customer information and electricity usage amounts required for electricity usage rate calculations, thereby supporting smooth operational execution.
3. Optimal system construction through links with existing systems
Links with existing mission-critical systems used for Hokkaido Gas’s town gas sales enable the provision of a variety of high value-added services, such as the proposal of usage-rate plans with combinations of gas and electricity tailored to each customer.
